(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to modular furniture and, more particularly, to a stackable bunk bed assembly selectively positionable between a stacked and unstacked position.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Modular furniture assemblies allow a user to easily assemble and connect furniture modules to form an article of furniture. Each of the modules also may function as an individual piece of furniture. The ability of modular furniture assemblies to be selectively positionable between a multitude of operational positions provides much flexibility and convenience to a user.
Numerous different types of furniture may be designed with modular furniture assemblies. One type of modular furniture assembly is a bunk bed assembly that includes an upper bed and a lower bed. The upper and lower beds form upper and lower modules that are selectively positionable between a stacked position and an unstacked position.
The upper and lower beds each have a series of supports. Each support of the upper bed mates with an opposing support of the lower bed when the bunk bed assembly is positioned in the stacked position. The mating supports of the bunk beds provide vertical support for the weight of the stacked upper bed. Lateral support between the stacked beds must also be provided by the mating supports to prevent the stacked bunk beds from being inadvertently disconnected.
In the past, lateral support between the stacked bunk beds was provided by a detached pin extending between each pair of mating supports. Each support also included a bore extending into an end of the support. The mating supports were positioned such that the bores of each pair of mating supports were aligned. The detached pin was inserted into the aligned bores of each of the mating supports. The detached pins provided a linkage between the mating supports that prevented the stacked bunk beds from being laterally pulled or pushed apart. The pins were freely detachable from the supports.
Various problems result from the use of detached pins to link the upper and lower modular units together. First, the pins used to connect the lower and upper beds are easily lost. Thus, each time the lower and upper beds were detached to form a pair of single beds, the pins have to be stored for later use. Because of the need to store the pins while the beds were used as a pair of single beds, the user had to spend unnecessary time locating the pins each time the beds were converted from the unstacked position to the stacked position. The requirement of accounting for the detached pins resulted in much inconvenience, lost time and the possibility f assembling the beds without the required number of pins.
Second, in certain institutional settings, modular bed assemblies are frequently converted between the stacked and unstacked positions. In such cases the pins are often misplaced and the beds are reassembled without all the pins being in place. This results in a dangerous situation in which the upper bunk may shift and fall down upon the occupant of the lower bunk.
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved modular furniture assembly which solves the above-identified problems of prior art modular furniture assemblies by providing good lateral support without the need for accounting for the detached pins or the danger associated with lost or missing pins.